The Emperors Weakness
by humanxlampshade
Summary: Anyone who's ticklish knows that denying it is the quickest way to ensure being tickled. Akashi figures that out the hard way.
The first time it happens, it's an accident.

Furihata and Akashi had just finished eating dinner, and were making their way through the park on the way back to Furihata's house. Evening was just beginning to fall, pink clouds ringing the setting sun before blending into a deep purple. It had been an ordinary day for the two of them, starting with meeting Akashi at the train station. They'd dashed back to Furihata's house to drop off Akashi's things before heading back out for their usual game of basketball, followed by lunch, a stop at the arcade, walking though the shopping districts, and finally catching dinner before heading back home. Ordinary in every way, but to Furihata, anytime spent with his boyfriend was precious, since distance dictated they didn't get to see each other very often.

Furihata didn't know it would be the day he'd discover his boyfriends weakness.

It had all happened so suddenly. Furihata had been in the middle of telling a story about his teammates antics at practice the other day, when a large flock of birds took off into the distance, startled by some noise that the boys couldn't hear. They way they flew off into the sunset made the whole scene that much more picturesque.

"Hey Sei, check it out!" Furihata exclaimed, reaching over to grab Akashi's arm. What he didn't realize was that the redhead was in the middle of stretching, arms extended over his head, leaving his ribs with no protection. Instead of clutching an arm, Furihata's fingers instead brushed and gripped at his boyfriends side, almost under his arms.

Akashi let out a noise that sounded very much like a small dog, jumping away from the contact in a way that was very familiar to the brunet. Furihata was momentarily distracted by the almost shocked expression on the redheads face, trying to figure out where he'd seen the gesture before. It had almost seemed like...He hesitated a moment, studying Akashi's pose and mortified expression. Finally the image clicked into place. The gesture and sound reminded him very much of playing with his older brother, back when they were younger.

His older brother who was extremely ticklish.

"Sei, are you..." Furihata trailed off uncertainly. It couldn't be true, was too impossible to be true, but he couldn't think of another reason for his boyfriends reaction. He knew he'd feel foolish for asking, but the possibility of being right was too good to pass up. "Are you.. _.ticklish_?"

Akashi straightened himself out immediately, and rewarded Furihata with a scoff and an almost-eye roll. "Don't be ridiculous, Kouki. Of course I'm not."

Well, that sounded like something someone who was ticklish would say.

Akashi narrowed his eyes, as though sensing what Furihata was thinking. The brunet decided that this was something that definitely required further investigation, but realized that now wasn't the time for it. If he was going to get the proof he wanted, he was going to have to go about this with care and patience.

Furihata laughed, reaching up to rub the back of his neck. "Yeah, I figured as much," he said, trying to play it off. "It just seemed like, with the way you jumped and all..." He let the sentence hang open-ended, curious to see how the redhead would respond.

Akashi chuckled quietly, the scowl slipping from his face as he stepped forward until he was next to Furihata again and taking his hand. "You just caught me off guard, is all." he said lightly, smiling as they started off again in the way they'd been headed. "Now, what did you want to show me?"

 _Got you_ , Furihata thought to himself. Akashi admitting that he'd been caught off guard was a major red flag in his story. After all, Akashi was never not on guard. Furihata probably knew that better than anyone. Any attempt to sneak up on his boyfriend or surprise him always ended in failure, even after 6 months together. Akashi, it seemed, always knew what he was up to before he even knew himself.

So yeah, Furihata wasn't buying that line at all. Put that together with the way Akashi had reacted at the touch and the sound he'd made, as well as his quick subject change, Furihata felt pretty confident about his conclusion to all of this.

And he couldn't wait to test it.

The second time it happens, it's totally planned.

The perfect opportunity came two weeks later. Akashi was in town for the weekend, and Furihata had the perfect plan in place. He just needed to wait for the right time.

Just like every other weekend when Akashi was visiting, the two of them typically wound up in Furihata's room after dinner, flipping though different video games or watching a movie before heading to bed. Tonight, they'd settled on a movie. Furitata didn't pay much attention to what movie he grabbed off the shelf, knowing that he wouldn't be watching much of it anyway. His stomach flipped with excitement as he set up the DVD Player.

He flipped off the lights and crawled into bed, settling himself between Akashi's legs and leaning back against his chest. The redhead eagerly wrapped his arms around his waist, resting his head on his shoulder and settling down comfortably against the headboard. Now all Furihata had to do was wait for the right time to strike.

He knew when that would be. His boyfriend could be pretty predictable when it came to certain things. Cuddling in bed and watching a movie was one of them. Before long, Akashi would claim Furihata was 'distracting' him, and that there was something more interesting they could be doing instead. From that moment on, the remainder of the movie would go unwatched, both of them otherwise preoccupied. Not that he was complaining.

Furihata felt his face heat up at the thought, but was determined to not let it show. He didn't need to be giving Akashi any ideas, at least not until he had a chance to put his plan into action.

Sure enough, about thirty minutes into the movie he felt warm breath against his neck, and a pair of lips soon after. Akashi kissed slowly up his neck, and Furihata automatically angled his neck to give him better access, losing control already.

 _Not yet, not yet_ , Furihata chanted to himself. He felt teeth playfully nip at the skin beneath his ear, sending a shiver down his spine. _Just a little longer,_ he told himself, but already his thoughts were clouded. Akashi worked his way back down his neck, hitting all of his sensitive places with disturbing accuracy. If Furihata didn't make his move now, the plan would fail. Already he could feel his breath coming quicker, his face flushing with color. It was now or never.

Furihata twisted in the redheads arms, pulling them face to face. He slid his arms around Akashi's neck, quickly adjusting so that he was no longer between Akashi's legs, but sitting on top of them. Arms tightened around his waist as their lips came together, the brunet momentarily forgetting what he was trying to accomplish. He pulled back slightly, trying to catch his breath, but Akashi wasn't having it. One of the hands on his waist pulled away, reappearing on the back of his head, tangling in his hair and pulling his face back down.

 _Okay, okay, okay_ , Furihata tried to focus, lips moving against his in a way that made thinking nearly impossible. _You're gonna have to be quick_ , he told himself, _just make sure_ \- He let his hands slide down from around Akashi's neck, finding their way to the buttons of his night shirt. He popped the first one undone, continuing until he was midway down the redheads chest. There he paused for a moment, gathering his determination, and then he struck.

As quickly as he could manage, Furihata moved his fingers from Akashi's shirt to his underarms, which were fully exposed from the way Akashi held him. He dug his fingers into the skin there, dancing down a little until he hit the same spot he had two weeks ago, now attacking from both sides.

Akashi's reaction was immediate. A puff of air pushed into Furihatas mouth as Akashi let out something that sounded like the cross between a laugh and shriek, pulling his arms and face back quickly. But the brunet had expected this, and kept his fingers where they were, even if now they were pinned between Akashi's arms and his ribs. Akashi, in turn, was trapped between Furihata and the headboard, his legs stuck under the brunet with no where to go. Furihata wiggled his fingers again, and was amused when a huff of hard laughter escaped the redheads lips.

Furihata kept his fingers moving as Akashi squirmed beneath him, a grinned plastered on his face. Akashi was desperately trying not to laugh, trying to keep his lips sealed and was failing entirely. He struggled for breath, face flush, as a string of half-intelligible pleas fell from his mouth.

"Kou-," the redhead stuttered, trying to draw in more air before cutting off.

"Kouki, plea-" Another laugh burst from his lips.

" _StoppleaseKoukistop_ ," He finally forced out in between laughing and gasping for air.

Deciding he had tortured his boyfriend enough, Furihata stilled his fingers, focusing now on enjoying Akashi's expression. His face was redder than the brunet had ever seen before, with tears in the corner of his eyes. Furihata decided then and there, that whatever punishment he had coming was totally worth it.

Sure enough, it took Akashi no more than five seconds to counterattack. Before Furihata even had a chance to prepare, he found himself on his back at the foot of the bed. A second later and Akashi was straddling his waist and pinning his wrists to the bed, his arms stretched above his head. The redhead leaned over him, struggling for breath, their faces inches apart.

"Kouki," Akashi panted, his face still flush. "What on earth was that about?"

Furihata schooled his expression into one of innocence. "What do you mean, Sei? I should be asking you that, since you know, you said you weren't ticklish and all." He bit his lip to hide his grin, positive he wasn't fooling anyone. He wasn't a good actor at the best of times, and was sure he was doing a pretty terrible job now.

Crimson eyes narrowed, and then flickered off to the side. "Of course I'm not, I told yo-"

Laughter burst through the brunets lips, unable to hold back a chuckle at this point. Even after all that, Akashi was still going to try and deny it. "C'mon Sei, just admit it. I mean, I think that was more than enough evidence. Even for you." Furihata laughed again, completely basking in the flustered look on his boyfriends face.

Akashi's eyes flashed back to his face, narrowing even more. "So this was a test, then, correct?"

Furihata nodded. There was no point in denying it at this point. He'd already gotten what he wanted.

"In that case," Akashi said calmly, shifting so he could hold Furihata's wrists with one hand. "Does that imply that I get to conduct a test as well?"

Furihata's eyes widened. "I don't think-"

He didn't get a chance to finish before Akashi's free hand was moving along his ribs, trailing from his underarms all the way down to his hips and back up again. The redhead wore a confident smile, more than ready to extract his revenge.

Except that Furihata didn't move.

Akashi's smile slowly dwindled into a frown, his eyebrows knitting together in a combination of confusion and frustration. His hand slowed, poking Furihata in the ribs a few more times for good measure. Finally, he stilled his hand, and turned his questioning gaze to Furihata.

"I uh," Furihata said sheepishly. "I never told you I wasn't ticklish, did I?"

It took a second for the redhead to process. "You're not ticklish?" Akashi asked in a deadpan tone. Furihata shook his head. "At all?"

"Nope, not one bit," Furihata tried to keep the smirk off his face, hoping he sounded half as smug as he felt.

Akashi blinked, looking perplexed. "Not even your feet?"

"Especially not my feet," Furihata grinned, the redheads question leaving him with one of his own. He cocked his head to the side, squinting up to meet crimson eyes."What about you? Are _your_ feet ticklish?"

Akashi opened his mouth to answer, and then shut it just as quickly. _So that's a yes_ , Furihata thought to himself.

Suddenly the redhead released his wrists, sitting back and folding his arms across his chest, the gesture making him look very much like a pouting child. "You are not ticklish," he said sullenly. "But I am."

If it was possible, Furihata's grin widened. "Looks like it."

"That is..." Akashi trailed off, and Furihata let himself enjoy the rare occasion of seeing boyfriend at a loss for words. "Unfair. Exceptionally so."

"Unfair?" Furihata propped himself up then, leaning back on his elbows, Akashi still perched on his waist. "You're better than me at literally everything. That's what most people would call unfair." He was teasing, and he knew that Akashi knew that. It was something they often joked about. "Lots of people are ticklish, Sei. I, uh, I actually think it's kinda cute." His face flushed at the last line, but it was true. His boyfriend was always so composed and put together that Furihata couldn't help but enjoy it whenever he let himself slip just a little bit.

Akashi raised an eyebrow at that, but leaned back over, gently pushing Furihata back into the mattress. "Is that so?" He asked, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

Furihata swallowed and nodded. Then, because he was curious, he asked, "Does anyone else know? That you're ticklish, I mean." He didn't think so, but it couldn't hurt to ask.

The smile on Akashi's face grew warm. "My mother did," he said softly. "But other than her, and now you, no. No one else is aware of this...issue." His brows furrowed again.

Furihata chuckled, bringing his arms up slowly to wrap around Akashi's waist, letting the redhead know he wasn't going to tickle him again.

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea. It'd ruin your reputation for sure if people knew that you giggled like a girl if someone pokes you in your side."

Akashi pulled back at that, his mouth popping open and his eyes widening. The expression on his face was somewhere between horrified and mildly offended.

"I- did you..." he stammered. "Did you just say I _giggled_?"

Now Furihata was sure his face must be red, from trying not to laugh. He really was being cruel, he thought, but he couldn't help it. It was priceless, this entire moment. All of it.

"Don't worry, Sei," Furihata tried to calm him, moving his hands from the redheads waist to his hair. "I won't tell anyone, I promise." He grinned again, putting on his most trustworthy smile.

"Hmm..."Akashi hummed, pressing into him more. "I don't know if I can believe that statement, especially after your little 'test'. Perhaps I need to take matters into my own hands to help you forget."

"H-help me forget?" Furihata questioned. Something about the way Akashi phrased that made him blush, but he wasn't sure why.

"Something along those lines," Akashi practically purred. And then Furihata couldn't think anymore, with the urgent way the redheads lips were moving against his. He let his fingers braid themselves into Akashi's hair, easily picking up where they left off before Furihata so rudely interrupted them.

As expected, Akashi's plan went off without a hitch. By the time the credits for the movie they hadn't watched were rolling, Furihata found himself back in Akashi's arms, snuggled up on his chest. They'd thrown back on some semblance of clothing, and Furihata felt more than content with the outcome of his little plan. Of both their plans, really. Akashi's fingers trailed gently up and down his spine, and Furihata smiled sleepily into his boyfriends shirt.

He felt lips press against the top of his head. "I love you," the redhead murmured into his hair, fingers still ghosting along his back, lulling him to sleep.

"I love you too, Sei," Furihata responded, a yawn catching him at the end. He nuzzled his head against Akashi's chest, snuggling just a little bit closer. And then, because he couldn't help himself, he added, "even if you do giggle like a girl."


End file.
